Chapter 292

Wang Yang's expression revealed a slight trace of surprise:

"Why would you think that, Old Zou Ye?"

Old Zou Ye smiled with understanding:

"It is just as I thought."

Wang Yang also smiled, his expression clearly carrying goodwill. While supporting the old man's back to let him lean slowly against the medicinal pillow, he reached out his arm to pull up the corner of the quilt. The fingers of Old Zou Ye, which had been gripping Wang Yang's wrist, also loosened naturally.

Wang Yang very carefully tucked the quilt in for Old Zou Ye, saying at the same time:

"If thinking that way makes you feel more comfortable, then let it be so."

Old Zou Ye stared fixedly at Wang Yang and praised:

"For the Han envoy to dare come alone without any support, your courage and strategy are truly extraordinary."

Wang Yang gave an embarrassed smile:

"Coming alone is true, but I do have support. So, my courage and strategy are not that extraordinary."

Hidden beneath Old Zou Ye's clouded gaze was a trace of sharpness that was difficult to detect:

"Does the support the Han envoy speaks of refer to your status as an envoy?"

Wang Yang gave a bitter laugh and said:

"Su Wu held his staff and was still imprisoned in the Northern Sea; Zhong Jun carried orders and still died in Nanyue. There is no one else here today, so I will speak plainly: I have neither an imperial edict nor a tally. My status as an envoy depends entirely on whether you recognize it. If the Wenyang Tribe truly intends to be an enemy of the imperial court, I am no different from an ordinary passerby. If I didn't have an army as support, how would I dare take on this errand? It is shameful to say, but those of us who advocate for peace cannot show off our skills without those who advocate for war behind us. Though persuasive words are clever, they must rely on spears and shields as their backbone; though alliance documents are heavy, they need swords and halberds as their guarantee. No matter how good my eloquence is, it would be difficult to accomplish anything without the support of an army. I truly cannot live up to the praise you just gave me..."

Old Zou Ye's gaze remained on Wang Yang's face, and he said with a chuckle:

"The Han envoy is being far too modest. You are clearly possessed of innate courage and resolve, treading alone through dangerous rivers as if walking on flat ground, yet you insist on claiming the support of an army. In truth, there is no army to support you; the Wenyang Commandery's grand display of force is merely a feint. The Yongning Commandery's army moving out from west of the Ju River is also not for my sake. The Han envoy uses the empty to appear full and the full to appear empty, setting up layers of traps and calculating every step; such strategy and courage are truly admirable..."

Wang Yang laughed, his brow relaxing like a spring breeze in March:

"If you keep flattering me like this, I will truly have nowhere to hide my face. It is said that the child of a wealthy family does not sit under a dangerous roof. No matter how much strategy and courage I have, I am, after all, a son of the Langya Wang clan. If I didn't have a great army behind me, could I have entered the barbarian lands alone without even bringing an imperial edict or a tally?"

Old Zou Ye stared at Wang Yang for a while.

Then, his expression gradually became relaxed, as if he had already seen through everything, and he sighed with emotion:

"What a fine display of bluffing; you almost deceived even me."

Wang Yang's brow furrowed slightly, showing a hint of confusion:

"I don't understand why you would think that? Now that the submission is settled, what use is there for me to bluff? Besides, you have been recuperating from illness for a long time and do not manage tribal affairs; even if I were to bluff, I should be bluffing in front of the Right Haya and the Young Zou Ye, so why bother doing so here with you? What I said just now was merely stating the facts. Besides, since the Wenyang Tribe has already decided to submit, what does it matter whether there is a great army or not? Could it be that you have other plans?"

Old Zou Ye withdrew his gaze, his eyelids drooping, his voice as faint as a candle flickering in the wind:

"That's right, what plans could I have? I am just an old barbarian on the verge of death who hasn't managed affairs for a long time; I was just feeling curious."

Wang Yang thought for a moment and said:

"I respect you very much, but I truly cannot satisfy your curiosity. Regarding the matter of mobilizing troops, it is really not convenient for me to say much, and I don't know the details very well either. But what I can tell you is that your guess just now about the Wenyang and Yongning Commanderies is not entirely wrong; you could say you guessed a small part of it correctly. There is indeed a great army, and if a war were to truly break out, the troops of these two commanderies wouldn't even count as a detachment. So, rather than saying I am bluffing, it would be better to say I am downplaying the situation, because what I haven't said is far more than what I have said..."

Old Zou Ye's eyelids suddenly lifted, and a sharp light shot out from his dim pupils, like a cold blade that had been stored for years suddenly drawn from its sheath, chilling to the soul!

"Is the Han envoy still trying to deceive me? What great army, what detachment—the Han court has no intention of mobilizing troops at all!"

Wang Yang was startled by this sudden shout from Old Zou Ye, which felt like a "final burst of energy before death":

"You are..."

Old Zou Ye did not speak, his gaze fixed on his prey like an aged hawk, two sharp rays of light like ice-tempered needles, as if trying to see through skin and flesh into the human heart.

Wang Yang also did not speak; his previous composure had dissipated for the most part, and his eyes were filled with confusion. He stared blankly at Old Zou Ye, as if trying to understand where this sudden sharpness from Old Zou Ye had come from.

"Is the Han envoy still unwilling to tell the truth?" Old Zou Ye asked in a deep voice.

"Tell... tell what? Is there some misunderstanding here?"

"Now that the overall situation is settled, is the Han envoy really unwilling to tell me a single truth? Even if it is a truth that has no use whatsoever?"

"What I said was the truth!!!"

"What does capturing a young master from a noble family count for? It counts for something in the hearts of others, but it doesn't count for anything in the heart of your Emperor. Your Emperor has great ambition, very great. He is biding his time and resting, appearing harmonious with the north on the surface, but in reality, his eyes have always been fixed on the north. He is not moving because he is cultivating strength, and cultivating is to accumulate power, waiting for the right opportunity. It's just that the trouble caused by that person surnamed Tang a few years ago and the barbarian tribes in the south (referring to the barbarian rebellion in Xiangzhou) disrupted his plans. However, he still has time, at least much more than I do, so he will continue to cultivate, cultivating his bow and his arrows until he can shoot dead that Xianbei tiger in the north. Would a person with the grand ambition of shooting a tiger go chasing after rabbits?

The small Wenyang Tribe doesn't count for much, but if it incites rebellion among other barbarian tribes in Jingzhou, or drags the Qi army into a protracted pursuit and suppression, then the loss would outweigh the gain. The Jing barbarians cannot be allowed to be in chaos, they don't deserve to be in chaos, and it is not worth it for them to be in chaos. He is unwilling to take this risk; as long as there is such a possibility, he is unwilling to do so. Therefore, he will appease Liu Shilong, bestow favors, play tricks, and even promise to avenge the Liu family, but he will absolutely not send troops, at least not now. It is precisely because of this that you have come to open up some barbarian road. You have neither spears nor shields, nor silks, yet relying only on empty words, you have earned the submission of tens of thousands of my tribe without a fight. Such methods are truly more formidable than a thousand armies and ten thousand horses. I admire you, I truly admire you..."

Old Zou Ye wore a cold sneer, while Wang Yang's expression was deep, and he slowly shook his head:

"I don't know how much of your guess about the Emperor's intentions is correct, and even if I did know, I would not express an opinion on this matter. But I can tell you clearly that mobilizing troops was already on the agenda long before you kidnapped Liu Cheng. Therefore, regardless of whether you kidnapped Liu Cheng or not, and regardless of whether you marched your troops out of Wenyang Gorge, the blades of the war faction have been brewing to be drawn for a long time; it is just that you do not know it yet. This matter of Liu Cheng has accelerated this process, but at the same time, it has also given us in the peace faction an opportunity to intervene. This is why I not only want you to release the people but also want you to submit. In fact, my main purpose in coming this time is not to bring Liu Cheng back, but to block the war faction from gaining power. Therefore, the Wenyang Tribe must not only surrender but must also take the initiative to request surrender! Only in this way can the scourge of war be eliminated, and only in this way can the various situations of 'loss outweighing gain' that you mentioned be avoided."

Old Zou Ye's face was as calm as an ancient well: "This is still a lie; I hope the Han envoy can tell the truth."

Wang Yang's expression was calm: "What I said was the truth."

Old Zou Ye clapped his hands, and two maidservants from outside the curtain walked in.

Old Zou Ye said: "Tell him your identities."

One maidservant said in stiff Han Chinese: "I was sent by the Right Haya and am responsible for monitoring the Zou Ye."

The other maidservant said: "I am a person of the Left Haya, ordered to monitor the Zou Ye."

Old Zou Ye waved his hand, and the two maidservants retreated.

Old Zou Ye looked at Wang Yang, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes relaxing slightly, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible exhaustion, yet revealing a kind of desperate honesty:

"I am lingering on in a hopeless state, lying on my bed waiting for death. The position of Zou Ye is nothing but an empty name, and I have long since stopped asking about tribal affairs. Both of my close maidservants are eyes and ears for others; otherwise, do you think they would be so at ease letting you and me talk alone? However, no matter how much I have lost power, I am still the Zou Ye. I have people I can influence, and I still have a son. I am telling you my secret now, but I don't need your secret in exchange. I only hope to hear one truth from your mouth. Although we barbarian people are greedy for profit, forming true alliances has never relied on profit, but on trust. I didn't care if you told a hundred lies before, but now I only want to hear one truth from you; this is the foundation of our mutual trust. So, are you willing to tell me one truth?"

Wang Yang did not hesitate at all and said sincerely:

"I could cater to you for the sake of your trust and deliberately say that what I said before was false, but I am unwilling to do so. Because that would truly be destroying trust. What I have said has always been the truth. If my mission fails, the great army will surely arrive. If you do not believe me, I can swear in the name of the Langya Wang clan."

A look of disappointment flashed in Old Zou Ye's eyes:

"So you are still unwilling to tell the truth."

Wang Yang's expression was clear, his gaze meeting Old Zou Ye's openly and honestly, without the slightest bit of evasion:

"I will say it again: what I said is the truth. If you take the truth as a lie, even if I had a thousand words, it would be in vain. However, the truth cannot be hidden, and the false cannot be made true. Whether it is true or false, you will naturally understand in the future."

Old Zou Ye's disappointment grew even greater:

"From the second half of your sentence, I know you are beating around the bush and playing smart. After submission, there will naturally be no great army; what else is there to understand?"

Wang Yang straightened his posture, his back straight, his voice warm and firm:

"Langya has no false words. Since I said 'understand,' there is naturally a reason for 'understanding'; it is just not convenient to reveal it now. There is one thing I have never told anyone else, but today I can tell you first: although the matter of submission has been decided in the Wenyang Tribe, it may not necessarily be settled in the imperial court. Yes, even if you take the initiative to submit, I fear there will still be people obstructing it from within. The reason I haven't mentioned this matter is because I am not sure either. However, I will say it again: the truth cannot be hidden, and the false cannot be made true. The shadow of the war faction has always been there. I will leave these words here; when the day comes that the winds and clouds change, you will look back and know that what I said was not false."

Old Zou Ye's expression was disappointed to the extreme, his clouded eyes gradually dimming, like two oil lamps about to run out.

He no longer looked at Wang Yang, and was even too lazy to say another word to him.

Seeing this, Wang Yang stood up, bowed to Old Zou Ye, and said: "This junior will take his leave."

Old Zou Ye muttered: "What a pity."

Wang Yang did not react and left decisively.

As soon as Wang Yang left, the look of disappointment on Old Zou Ye's face instantly vanished, replaced by an undisguised exhaustion.

It was as if all his strength had been drained; his body tilted to one side, and he almost collapsed. The two maidservants hurried into the room, supporting Old Zou Ye's arms from left and right, and laid him flat. Old Zou Ye lay back on the couch, eyes closed, letting out a long sigh, without even the strength to move...

I don't know how much time passed before Le Luo Luo walked in, sat by the bed, and softly called "Daka." This is the barbarian word for father.

Old Zou Ye slowly opened his eyes.

Le Luo Luo asked: "What was the result?"

Old Zou Ye stared blankly at the ceiling, seemingly a bit distracted.

Le Luo Luo knew his father's habits. After waiting for a while and seeing that his father still didn't speak, he became a bit anxious and called out repeatedly: "Daka. Daka? Daka!"

Old Zou Ye glanced impatiently at his noisy son and lazily moved his lips:

"Didn't trick him..."

——————

Note: ① In this chapter, for the sake of conciseness, the probing and defense between the two people have not undergone any psychological deconstruction, and even the authenticity of their expressions has not been added with hints like "pretending." All the "fighting" is conducted silently. Interested readers can think about the timing and content of each of Old Zou Ye's remarks when reading their dialogue, such as his sudden questions or his sudden "honesty." What is he trying to express? What is he trying to guide? And why didn't Wang Yang believe him, and where are Old Zou Ye's flaws? Why did Wang Yang answer this way instead of that way?

② There may be operational activities in the near future, and it seems there will be quizzes and prizes for merchandise later... I don't know the specifics either. In short, when there are activities, the author's notes will be occupied by other content. For example, today's author's note contains a multiple-choice question, so the literature originally planned for the author's note will be moved to the chapter appendix. It will return to normal when there are no activities.

【Author's Note】 In the era of Yongming, for over ten years, the common people had no alarms of roosters crowing or dogs barking. The prosperity of the capital, the wealth and leisure of the scholars and women, the songs and dances, the gorgeous clothes and makeup, amidst the peach blossoms and green waters, under the autumn moon and spring breeze, were all counted by the hundreds. — "Book of Southern Qi: Biography of Good Governance"